Ultimate Halo: Reach Fan Package

Follow the eBay link below to bid on the Ultimate Halo: Reach Fun Pack. This one-of-a-kind item was created by Bungie as a fundraiser for Jen Taylor (Cortana)'s theater company New Century Theatre Company.

Fails of Reach - Episode 4

"CruellegaceyProductions.com is the new online home for all my Halo creations; montages, videos, walkthroughs & tutorials, screenshots, Forge creations, and more! I will be updating the site regularly with new content and announcements, so check back often!

I'm celebrating the launch of my new homepage with the release of The Fails of Reach -Episode 4... some are already calling it the best episode yet!"

Map Spotlight Week 7 - Apex

"This week I will be featuring MADMAN Redux's map, Apex. Sound familiar? It should. Apex was one of the maps featured in Halo 3 in the playlist 'Bungie vs. World' on Bungie Day. Madman was kind enough to remake this map in Reach for our enjoyment. If you want to get a better understanding for this map, please feel free to read my interview with the mapmaker himself, MADMAN Redux. Thank you!

Q. What was your inspiration for Apex?

A. This is actually the seventh version of this map. I started working with a very specific idea in Halo 3. I was inspired by the idea that Apex would be a kind of gravity drive elevator that has lost its power, so it's this confined cylindrical room with tons of vertical movement and play. It was my first Forged map on Foundry. I rebuilt it several different ways on Sandbox, emphasizing different gameplay experiences and, ultimately, settled on the version that made it into the Bungie Vs. The World playlist. But I still felt that version had several flaws I just couldn't find a way around in Halo 3's Forge. I built it in Reach's Forge World and, and I feel like I was pretty successful at finally making it the map I wanted it to be.

Q. Where is Apex located and why did you choose that location?

A. I built Apex on the surface of the water past the island. I chose the location because, within the context of Forge World, I wasn't able to build it high enough off the ground for it to make sense with the fiction I had developed. So, it's now a gravity elevator that would get personnel from a facility beneath the sea floor to the surface of the water.

Also, I like that red side has its back to land and blue side has its back to the sea. I think it adds a really interesting feel to it. Since it's a symmetrical map, the background of Forge World should help players know which side of the map they're on.

Q. What separates Apex from other Slayer maps?

A. While Apex is a circular, symmetrical map, I don't feel players chase each other around the circle the entire match. There is a clearly defined line of conflict, and each team has its territory of the map. I think this focuses combat on and over the center rather than on the outer ring.

Q. Anything else people should know before they download?

A. Apex was featured in the first WorkPLace map pack, but this version is the final version. I have since fixed some technical issues and made some changes to geometry that I think helps the overall map performance. If you downloaded the previous version, I hope you can download this version, and please feel free to PM me feedback on the changes or with any other comments. I'm really trying to grow as a designer, so I'm open and anxious to hearing other people's experiences.

Also, thanks to my friends in the WorkPLace and T00LB0X for helping me test and giving me the tough love when I needed it the most.

No, thank you Madman for taking the time to answer my questions, and for making this brilliant map for all of us to enjoy! Note to the community: Below you will find a link to Apex, a rendered fly through of the map, and an overview snapshot of the map.

Giving Great Charity in Record Time

Blazing benevolence.

HBO tipped us that Cody Miller will be participating in 5-day Charity Speedrun Marathon to raise funds and awareness for the Prevent Cancer foundation. Cody's already known for his ability to blaze through our titles in record time (seriously, he holds a Guinness Record), so this should be quite the event to watch. Hit the jump to learn more.

Swag - A Halo: Reach Montage

"This is a Halo: Reach dualtage from KayEmX and FKIV entitled, 'Swag,' edited by KayEmX himself. Gameplay wise, this is probably the best Halo: Reach montage so far. The multikills are ridiculously high and the clips are packed with tons of sick no scopes. Look out for the killionaire on Pinnacle and the sick killtastrophe on Asylum with a no scope for the killtrocity. The editing is simple and features the most basic of syncing, but the video still has a nice flow and I really liked the soundtrack. Enjoy!"

Bungie.net Gets Mobilized

Size doesn't matter.

If you've been itching to hold Bungie.net in the palm of your hand, direct your web browser to Bungie.net and watch the magic happen. While we're not deploying the full run of features for our maiden voyage into cellphone cyberspace, we do have a handful of features that aim to please. If your device doesn't play nice with the default URL, our beloved web overlord, Gossett, notes that you might have better luck with http://www.bungie.net/mobile. Unless you clicked the link in your desktop web browser.

MLG Playlist Live, Breakpoint Invasion Deployed

Double whammy.

After some gravity defying hiccups, the MLG playlist is now operating with the correct player settings. If you stayed up all night waiting the four shot some scrubs, please accept our sincerest apologies. Jeremiah is still investigating reports of other instances of inconsistency, but for now, feel free to jump in and get to work.

In non-MLG news, our playlist team also took the opportunity to inject Breakpoint Invasion into the Noble Map Pack hopper. If you have the new maps and want more Breakpoint, it should now be way easier to get your fill.

Message to All Full Party Boosters

Boosting? Step inside.

Nick from our Test team wanted me to clarify some full party boosting parameters for you. Seems we might have made it sound like you don't have to worry about being caught in our net of online justice as long as you're behavior is contained to a party full of players. It's actually not that simple. Here's the full story:

OKAY: Full Party Boosting

Playing with a full group where nobody is idle and everyone is running around getting kills, headshots, sticks, and sweet rejections. Nobody is AFK.

NOT OKAY - Idle Boosting

Getting into a full or partial party with guests or other Gold accounts who are not manned in order to kill AFKs. Also not acceptable is having EVERYONE AFK to attempt to get Credits for time played.

Got it? Good. As always, more nefarious behavior such as network manipulation is right out. The Banhammer catches that kind of behavior in its sleep - and it is always cranky first thing in the morning. Best to let sleeping dogs lie.

The Running Riot - Forge the Studio

"The Running Riot is making preparations to launch a new wave of live interviews in the coming months and we need someplace to conduct them. The Forge The Studio contest is now accepting submissions for Reach. Contest rules and info is hosted at this thread at Forge Hub. Good luck and stay tuned. We will be launching TRR 3.0 soon!"

'I Wish I Had A Jetpack'

Mr. Poopy Pants made another music video. Not too shabby, but the illustrations definitely need work.

"Life can be tough. There's a lot of stuff we deal with on a daily basis...whether at school, or at home, or even online. If you are dealing with 'junk,' crank up your volume and take a small break from reality. Remember...even if the world is crashing down around you, you've got a friend in BrySi."

Origins - A Halo 3 Trick Jumping Montage

"This is a Halo 3 trick jumping montage from the trick jumping clan, 'Project Air,' entitled, 'Origins,' edited by MasteroMexico and featuring an introduction and credits from Joshington. The jumps are flat out ridiculous, and I was just shocked at how much of the material was original even though trick jumping has been around for so long. The editing is also fantastic. Of course, it accomplishes the task of syncing a couple things here and there and having great, smoothly done angles to showcase the jumps in a clear manner, but it goes far beyond that. I really liked the simply yet very unique intro, and the credits are among some of the best credits I have ever seen in a Halo video. To top it all off, I loved the soundtrack as well; it was relaxing, unique, and just very melodic in general. All in all, this video simply does everything right, and I really hope you enjoy it. So... enjoy!"

Chimp's First Halo: Reach Montage

"This is Chimp's 1st Halo: Reach montage, edited by Klima. The gameplay is really sick, showcasing tons of nice sniper multikills, a lot of which have no scopes. Look out for the nice killtrocity on Boardwalk and 2v2 overkill on Asylum. The editing is great as well, flowing very well with the soundtrack. The syncing is well done, the effects are just clean overall, and the editing never takes away from the footage. Even though the video jumps through music selections a bit too often, the soundtrack is pretty relaxed and unique overall so I liked it. This is one of the better Reach montages to have come out recently so I hope you enjoy it."

Forge Lesson 39: Dedication

"Welcome to lesson 39 folks. Today's lesson talks about a sort of common sense topic that some may need to be reminded of. If you think you are done with your map, double check everything a couple more times. If you think you have playtested enough, playtest for a couple more sessions. If you think you know how people play your maps, watch gameplay films for a couple hours longer. The payoff of the time spent will be well worth it. Sometimes it means missing the chance to do one of the daily challenges. Sometimes it means not farming to rank up quite yet. And sometimes it means tearing yourself away from hanging out with your friends. Do you have what it takes to take your creation to the next level?

* Map design is a practice like many others that requires a seemingly never-ending cycle of iteration
* In order to improve in the field of level design sometimes you've got to sacrifice some of your free time
* Devoting yourself to the world of creating maps for players can lead to a variety of payoffs to reward you"

Halo Reach Mythbusters: Episode Four

DTH and Ronald Jenkees get down for another installment of Mythbusters.

"Defendthehouse is back with another installment of Halo Reach Mythbusters for your viewing pleasure. This time, dth explores a little bit of the Noble Map Pack, and also teaches you that Armor Lock is bouncy!

Want to be in an episode of this mediocre video game series? Head on over to defendthehouse.com and maybe YOU could have your pretty Spartan or Elite seen by bajillions of people!"

Mythic Difficulty Guide: Tip of the Spear

Making it look easy.

The Tyrant updated his Mythic walkthrough with a monsterous twelve videos. More, he's also updated his Legendary guide for those (like me) who don't have the patience to crank the dial up to 11. If you're into a side of pain and suffering with your elite campaign play, you definitely want to click on the link below to get briefed by the best.